[NatureNS] Backyard Creatures

Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2011 10:33:15 -0300
thread-topic: [NatureNS] Backyard Creatures
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From: "David McCorquodale" <David_McCorquodale@cbu.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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Angus has a very good photo of a queen _Bombus impatiens_ posted.  This
is a species that was not present in Nova Scotia 20 years ago and is now
one of the three most common species in urban, suburban and rural
agricultural areas of mainland Nova Scotia.

He mentions a smaller bee.  My guess is that this was either a queen of
a smaller bumble bee, perhaps _Bombus vagans_, one of the first workers
of the year or another species of bee (there are more than 160 species
documented and likely more than 200 that occur here).  

When the first queens emerge until the first workers emerge around now,
there are only queens.  There are no males at this time of year.  This
week or next the first small workers will emerge.  They look like the
queens but are much smaller.  Numbers of workers will increase in the
colony through the summer.

In late summer (August through September depending on species) males are
produced.  They fly around, mate and then die.  So there are males in
August and September, by November mated queens are hibernating, all
spring and summer there are only females (queens and workers) until the
first males emerge in August.

DBMcC

DB McCorquodale
Department of Biology, Cape Breton University, 
1250 Grand Lake Rd., Sydney, NS B1P 6L2
david_mccorquodale @ cbu.ca
902-563-1260

Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods)
http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/bsc/bschome.htm

Department of Biology, Cape Breton University
http://www.cbucommons.ca/science/biology/

CBU Faculty Association Research News
http://www.cbufa.ca/news/


-----Original Message-----
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca
[mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of Angus MacLean
Sent: June 5, 2011 8:37 PM
To: NatureNS@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: [NatureNS] Backyard Creatures

In our Backyard at Coldbrook:
2 Twelve-spotted Skimmers (dragonfly)
1 Northern Crescent (butterfly)
abt. 8 Bombus Impatiens Queens (Bee). (These are huge, over twice the 
size of the drones, one of which was also present).

Here is a photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58321572@N00/5802290794/in/photostream

Also yesterday I posted some photos of Dragonflies, one of which I 
identified as a Maine Snaketail. It has been pointed out to me it is 
more likely a Beaverpond Clubtail (& after looking more closely at 
the shape of the thoracic stripes, I agree).

Angus

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